


I'm Crazy, But You Like That

by tangerine_sugarhoneysweet



Category: One Piece
Genre: Acrobatics, Adventure & Romance, Aftermath of Torture, Angst, Anxiety, Blood and Violence, Bloodlust, Bounty Hunters, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Caring Roronoa Zoro, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Torture, Insecurity, Kissing, Making Out, My First Fanfic, My First Work in This Fandom, Romance, Slavery, Spoilers, Trafalgar D. Water Law Needs a Hug, at some point hopefully i'll get there soon, i kinda add on to the canon, i'll add tags as i go, i'm a simp for zoro, i'm unoriginal, oc is kinda crazy, sanji is actually not a simp for once wow, some lawbin, some original islands and characters for flavor, some platonic relationship stuff, some ptsd, some sanami, who isn't really
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:29:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26919628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tangerine_sugarhoneysweet/pseuds/tangerine_sugarhoneysweet
Summary: "Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody."After the Straw Hats visit a carnival island, one young girl's life is transformed in ways she never even hoped for.A story of bloodlust and love, trauma and comfort, and fate and change.My first fanfic, I would really appreciate any advice and critiques!If people like this a lot, I might make some AU spinoffs at some point cus I'm bored.
Relationships: Roronoa Zoro/Original Character(s), Roronoa Zoro/Original Female Character(s), Roronoa Zoro/Tsuki, Zoro/OC, Zoro/Original Character(s)
Kudos: 6





	I'm Crazy, But You Like That

**Author's Note:**

> just for a quick reference, this is set to happen just after the straw hats run into the sea train and talk to kokoro, who introduced them to the area. so it's just before water 7 :) here it is, my first fic ever!
> 
> I do not own One Piece or any of its characters, but the characters I have created are my own. There is no intentional resemblance to any person, place, idea, or concept in any of my original work.

**The carnival island, Circo**

The Going Merry landed at the boisterous island near twilight, the lights of the island competing with the setting sun for attention. At Nami’s suggestion, the crew had decided to explore the area more (namely because she wanted a reprieve from the usual chaos that followed them), starting with Circo, the fun-loving carnival island. They anchored the Going Merry at a small dock, which was inconspicuous from the view of the town. Still, Zoro instinctually looked around. It was still easy enough to find, but hopefully there were no malicious pirates here. The ex-bounty hunter sighed and ran his fingers through his short-cropped, soft green hair. _Something still feels like it’s going to go wrong. These people… seem off._

Even before they left the ship, they could hear loud music and cheering coming from both the town square, and the massive circus tent perched directly in the center. Walking through street after street, they saw jugglers, merry-go-rounds, booths filled with toys, games, and food, and any kind of trickster you could think of. As they approached, the noises became more distinct. 

“Come one, come all, to our spectacular night show!” called a newsboy atop a stool. Zoro noticed the loud, boisterous pirates walking into the massive striped circus tent just behind the boy. 

“Hey, that looks like fun! I wonder if they serve food there.” Luffy pointed at the tent excitedly. 

“It looks all-inclusive, and quite crowded…” Nami trailed off. It was clear she was thinking of how many unsuspecting guests she could pickpocket, dollar signs dancing in her eyes. 

“Let’s go, let’s go!” shouted Luffy, eager to see what lay inside. Following their captain’s “order,” the crew made their way inside of the crowded tent. When they entered, they were greeted by a waitress, dressed in a red and gold Arabic-style outfit showing most of her well-developed chest and midriff. 

“Hello and welcome to Circo’s one-of-a-kind night show! Allow me to show you to your seats,” she said sweetly, even as Sanji swooned over her appearance. The tent almost seemed bigger from the inside; the large ring where the show would be held was surrounded by tables and chairs, so that the guests could relax and eat in comfort as the show was held. The waitress led them to a table relatively close to the ring, where they could see a door in the back where the performers must have used to filter in and out. Despite being filled with hundreds of pirates, there was still plenty of room to spare in the area surrounding the ring. The pirates that were present were causing quite a ruckus, hitting on the waitresses, yelling for more drinks, and generally making a nuisance of themselves. Suddenly there was a great rustling noise, and a huge red curtain fell from the rigs in the ceiling of the tent, obscuring the ring from all angles. 

“The show will start shortly, but in the meantime would you like some food and drink?” Their waitress asked. 

* * *

“Hurry up, we have to go on soon!”

“Hey, I think the curtain just dropped.”

“You need to cover that up, who knows what the Ringmaster would do if he saw that?”

“Shoot, has anyone seen my headdress?”

“I wonder what kinds of people will be at the show tonight.”

The pre-show chatter of the other dancing girls was just the regular noise to the black-haired dancer and acrobat. Sitting at one of the many mirrors that filled the dressing room, she carefully fixed her chin-length raven hair. Her costume tonight was one of the most extravagant in the ensemble; long, deep red sleeves and a bandeau covered in elaborate golden stitching, and a matching skirt with thigh-high sheer socks of a softer rust color. She rose from her seat to lace up her special black flats, made especially for her workings in acrobatics and dance. 

“Hey, Tsuki-chan, let’s go look at the guests when you’re ready!” a friend of hers, Cheri, called. Cheri was dressed in an equally grand outfit, but with blue tones instead of red. 

“I’ll come over in a moment, let me just get my shoes on.”

Tsuki finished lacing up her flats and walked out the door and up the stairs to the stage. Looking around at the workers setting up the lights, speakers, and equipment for the acrobats, she smiled and waved up at them. 

“Hey, Tsuki! Here to do some more scouting?” A boy who was helping rig the trapeze. 

“As always, Koro-kun,” she replied sweetly. Koro was her childhood friend; while she had been designated to performing, Koro had been assigned to do the dirty work of rigging, deconstructing, and cleaning the sets for the elaborate shows. Tsuki crossed the ring to meet up with Cheri, who had been waiting for her.

“Okay, Tsuki-chan, will you do the scouting?” Cheri grabbed her hand excitedly, her white blonde hair shifting as she turned to face her. She was always as bubbly as can be, while Tsuki was more on the reserved, calm side. People had always said they looked like twins, save for their complete polarity in hair color and personality. 

“Of course,” Tsuki replied, squeezing her best friend’s hand. She closed her eyes. She felt the crackle of electricity tingling through her fingertips, humming softly and cracking in bits of lavender sparks. She felt the presence and minds of the hundreds that occupied the circus tent, like shadows drifting in her mind’s eye. 

“It seems that we will be having quite a few infamous men on our hands tonight, as well as some mafia lords. I sense Sergo the Bandit, Bloody Ninfando, the Merso Gang, and… oh.” She stopped suddenly.

“What’s the matter, my pearl?” Tsuki heard a sharp voice behind her. Cheri suddenly sucked in her breath, and looked down. Tsuki quickly let the electricity fade away from her, and turned around. 

A large, round man with black hair and greasy mustache, dressed in a double-breasted red suit, stood before her. Despite his seemingly harmless appearance, Tsuki and Cheri knew to be wary. 

“Ringmaster, I was simply checking who was in our audience tonight, aside from our regulars.” She kept her eyes down and forcefully steadied her voice. 

“I see. You know you shouldn’t do that without my permission, but we’ll sort that out _later_. Do we have any other notable targets here tonight?” he replied, with the slightest hint of venom in his voice. 

“Yes, Ringmaster. I also felt the Straw Hat crew here tonight. They’re one of the bigger catches.” Tsuki kept her eyes down and her voice flat. 

“They would make a suitable target for you, pearl.” He turned around and started to walk. “I think you know what to do, considering how important tonight is for you.”

“Yes, Ringmaster.”

As soon as he left, Tsuki and Cheri let out sighs. They were silent for a while, knowing how dangerous it was to be caught by the Ringmaster. Tsuki had gotten over the stress from the Ringmaster’s sudden appearance, but remained silent, lost in thought. She couldn’t stop thinking about those Straw Hats. There were two particular individuals, coincidentally the most dangerous ones, that had caught her attention. They weren’t like normal men. Tsuki thought of the Ringmaster’s words and suddenly had an idea. Maybe today she could finally… But no. She was watched too closely and was considered too “valuable” to try something like that, especially tonight. But it was worth a try. 

“Well, if we bring in enough money tonight, maybe he won’t be upset,” said Cheri hopefully, as the stage began to flood with dancers and performers. 

“Let’s hope so.” 

They heard the call to places, and Tsuki took a deep breath. 

* * *

Just as the crew received their food, the lights began to dim. Zoro took a sip of his sake and sat back, wondering just what exactly this whole show was about and why it was so popular. 

He was not let down. 

As the curtain rose, the flash of lights from the stage was nearly blinding; some of the crowd cheered as the rousing music began to play. Dancers, dressed in every color visible to the human eye, flourished and flared in the most intricate (and seemingly impossible) movements. Then, just as the audience adjusted to the sudden pop of color and movements of the dancers, there was a flurry of fire, glitter, and instruments as the musicians and circus performers began to move forward. The cheers grew louder as the movements of the performers slowly increased in speed in time with the music. Suddenly, they stopped, and the lights dimmed to a soft purple; then the group split in two to make way for the dancers again. This time there were only girls, and they moved with a new fluid motion. The men in the crowd whooped and cheered as they danced, showing off their smooth bodies and flexibility. 

Then two girls, dressed the most lavishly in complementary tones of blue and red, split off to either side of the ring and began climbing the ropes in place. When they reached the platform close to the ceiling (which Zoro noticed hadn’t been there before the curtain dropped) they grabbed the trapeze bars and swung towards each other, flipping and somersaulting as the two girls switched places. Their movements were perfectly matched, as if they were twins; everything about them was a perfect balance, from their hair and dress color to the symmetry of their careful techniques. 

The music started to heat up again and the dancers began to move faster, as the other performers took their places around them, throwing, flipping, and kicking whatever they had in their hands. Rings and aerial silks replaced the trapeze bars, which the two girls navigated easily, with new backup dancers suddenly appearing with them on the dangerous rigs. The dancing, throwing, fire, lights, and music continued to intensify until the very extravagant end, with a flash and a great explosion of glitter and confetti all over the audience. 

The cheers from the crowds were almost deafening; Nami and Robin were applauding respectfully, while Usopp, Chopper, and Luffy were cheering with abandon, and Sanji was still in a tizzy over the beautiful dancers. As the rest of the performers made their way out, the dancers remained and made their way to the audience to greet them and thank them. 

Not surprisingly, Sanji nearly had a fit as a group of the laughing girls, not so elusive removed from the stage, approached him and started talking and laughing. Sanji made such a scene that Zoro almost didn’t notice the black haired girl from the trapeze walking towards him. 

Zoro had never been interested in women; many had approached him during his days as a bounty hunter but he had not once seen any of them as remotely beautiful. To him, beauty was just a distraction to get him to bring his guard down, and it never worked. 

Only this time it did. 

She was built more stocky than most girls, due to her training in acrobatics; instead of having stereotypical smooth, slender legs, she had toned thighs and calves, plus wide hips that lent to her smooth hourglass figure. Her short black hair brushed around her face, her fine features accentuated by her soft bangs, parted in the middle. Through her fine hair, he could see the glint of golden earrings, draping down towards her neck, close to her multitude of necklaces. But her eyes were what drew Zoro to her. Deep violet, almost black, her eyes had a violent spark in them from the afterglow of the rousing performance and… something else. Her eyes sucked him in and kept him staring until they were close, impossibly close. 

Tsuki saw his piercing stare as she walked toward him. From just a glance, she could tell that he was incredibly strong, further indicated by the three swords at his hip. The buttons on his shirt were opened, which was just enough to show his collarbone peeking out. The noise from the crowd seemed to fade away as they looked deeply into each other's eyes; then suddenly she leaned over, her head close to his ear. Tsuki’s heart skipped a beat from the way his scent of steel mingled with the sweet sake he had been drinking, and tried to concentrate on something else. _Remember what you have to do._

Her scent was intoxicating, a mix of sweet night jasmine and the soft, musky scent of wisteria. He almost started when she trailed her thin fingers from his upper arm, to his shoulder, sweeping to his collarbone and up to his neck, sending shivers up his spine. She brushed his three earrings together, making them tinkle, and then softly whispered in his ear:

“They’re going to send assassins to your ship tonight when you try to leave. Everything on this island is designed to entice you and blur your senses. Leave as soon as you can.” 

Before Zoro could even react, she turned around and started to walk away with the other girls, casting a look at him over her shoulder. The look in her eyes told him she was not lying through her seductive smile. Then he noticed his heart pounding and the flush in his cheeks, and hurriedly tried to calm himself before the others noticed. Not that any of them had seen the exchange. 

Except for one man, watching from the shadows of the ring. 

* * *

“Whew, that was quite a show!” Nami said as they made their way to leave the tent. “I think I’m gonna see if there’s anywhere I can gamble some more.”

“Sanji, let’s get some more food!” Luffy exclaimed, dragging Sanji, who was still on a pleasure high from meeting the girls. 

“I’d like to explore the area more. Chopper, do you want to come?” said Robin, who seemed to be the calmest.

“Wait.”

Something in the tone of Zoro’s voice made everyone freeze in their tracks and look at him. 

“We should leave this island.”

“Why? We only just got here!” Luffy protested. 

Zoro looked at him. “I have a hunch.”

Luffy saw the look in his eyes and immediately understood that it couldn’t be said. 

“Okay. Let’s go.” 

“Ahh, I was looking forward to winning some more money,” Nami sighed. So much for a vacation. 

Just as they reached the exit, a large, fleshy man with slick black hair and in a bright red suit sprang up to stop them. 

“Hello, kind visitors! I am the ringmaster of this circus tent, the only one of its kind! Did you enjoy our show?” He asked in an almost too-cheery voice. 

“I’m not giving you any of my money,” said Nami firmly. 

“Oh, your dancer ladies were wonderful, sir! Simply wonderful!” Sanji sang out, his cigarette falling out of his mouth. 

“Speaking of the dancers. What was the name of that black-haired acrobat?” Zoro wasn’t sure what made him ask. 

“Ah, you must be thinking of our sweet Pearl! Quite the enigmatic one, isn’t she?” The ringmaster replied. Then for a moment his cheery tone vanished, and was replaced by a much more serious, business-like one. “If you’d like her for tonight, I can offer you a most reasonable price. It would be her first of many; she’s quite popular here.”

Zoro’s eyes narrowed and he calmly replied, “No, thanks.” He felt a slight rage bubbling in the pit of his stomach, and repressed the urge to cut the man out of pure revulsion. 

“Ah, no matter! Enjoy the rest of your evening!” His overly bright demeanor returned just as quickly as it left and he let them pass. As they were leaving, Zoro noticed that he had instinctively tensed and put his hand on his swords without realizing. 

* * *

Tsuki had been sitting quietly at her table in the dressing room, cleaning up, when the Ringmaster called for her. When she walked out to see him she looked around, confused as to where he was. Then suddenly she felt a blow on the back of her head and everything went black. 

When she woke up, the first thing she noticed was the heavy stone rings around her neck, wrists, and ankles. She felt drained and unable to move. Under normal circumstances, this would have made her heart pound in fear, but this was not new to her. Then she saw the Ringmaster calmly sitting at what looked like a desk. 

“Finally awake, are we, pearl?” he said her pet name in a menacing tone. “I saw you talking to that pirate, that swordsman Roronoa Zoro, but it appears you didn’t do your job. Which means if you didn’t do your job, you were telling him something other than sweet nothings.”

Now she felt scared. _He knows._

“So the question remains, pearl, what did you tell him? Depending on what it is—” he brandished the whip in his hand—“I might be able to go easy on you.”

Tsuki was suddenly aware of the worn rags she had been changed to, and the vulnerability of her body, unable to move or protect herself in any way. Despite her fear, she remained silent. 

“Well? If you don’t answer soon I may not be able to control myself, pearl.” The heat in his voice was rising. 

She refused to say a word, even as her resolve wavered. She didn’t know why she had tried to do this in the first place. Why couldn’t she just have listened? Why did she have to feel hope here? 

“Remember, pearl, you’re nothing more than a doll. And dolls do what their masters tell them to do.”

She was still alive for now, and she knew he couldn’t kill her. If the Straw Hats left soon, she might be able to escape when the Ringmaster left. She felt the glimmer of hope in her again, but she didn’t know if it was good or bad anymore.

“You leave me no choice then, little doll,” the Ringmaster said as he got up from his chair. 

“Dolls need to learn that if they disobey their masters, there will be consequences.”

She bit her lip as the whip tore across her flesh. 

* * *

As they set sail, Zoro felt relieved to leave the island, even as the others sighed with regret. 

His relief would not last long. 

The farther the ship went, the more ships seemed to appear, seemingly filled to the brim with fighters, weapons, and cannons. One ship, larger than the others, loomed before the crew. Zoro saw the ringmaster at its helm. 

“Why leave so early, my dear friends? My dear Pearl must have misled you. We have so much more to offer. Please, stay and have some more fun with us,” he called, an malevolent smile painting his greasy features. Any trace of brightness was gone from his tone. 

Just then, the cannons began to fire, and the ships closed in on them. Each member of the crew sprang into action, to redirect the cannon fire and take care of the ship. 

As Zoro prepared to fight, he wondered what happened to the girl called Pearl.

* * *

Tsuki lay fighting to breathe against the heavy ring around her neck. The room was dark, and quiet as her screams of pain faded away. The Ringmaster was gone—“to take care of your mess,” he told her—and she was alone. She felt her own blood, slippery on the floor beneath her. 

A crack of light entered the room as the door opened. Instinctively she tensed and looked away; but then she heard a familiar voice. 

“Tsuki-chan?” It was Cheri. Her, along with Koro, who carried a small bundle, quietly entered the room. 

She couldn’t speak, but she looked up at them. 

“The Ringmaster sent us to clean you up,” Cheri said softly. Koro set the bundle down and produced a set of keys, and began releasing Tsuki’s bonds, starting with the ones on her ankles. Cheri took a rag from the bundle and began to wipe the blood and dirt off of Tsuki. 

As her eyes adjusted to the light, she could see the rings around their necks, just like her own, only made of metal. Tsuki knew that there were bombs inside. 

“The ambush has started already. The Ringmaster wants you there. He wants your powers,” Koro told her in a short, almost brusque tone. 

“He just wants me to watch him kill them.”

Both looked away, unsure of what to reply. Koro lifted the heavy ring off of her neck, and she reflexively rubbed her neck, avoiding the bloody chafed areas. 

“Here are your clothes. You should go now.” Cheri gently touched her hand, and she flinched at the contact. 

“Cheri… What do I do?” she whispered. If Tsuki stayed any longer, the Ringmaster would break her, more than she was broken, until she was a shell of a person who bent to his will. That wouldn’t be long. 

“Tsuki, do what’s right. We won’t hate you,” she smiled at her, sadly, softly, as if she knew what Tsuki was thinking. Koro looked at her, a deep burning in his eyes, but the kind of burning that is seen only in a coal after it has been submerged in water. 

Cheri gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and stood up to leave. Both had known her decision from the start. Despite feeling so weak, Tsuki knew that she had much more to do.

She got changed into the clothes they had brought her, grateful that the outfit, much simpler than her show costume, covered up most of her wounds. Pain wracked her every movement, but that didn’t matter to her anymore. Seeing her friends for the last time had relit the spark that the Ringmaster had tried to beat out of her.

All that mattered was that she was ready to revolt once again. 

* * *

Zoro was breathing rather heavily as they finished fighting off the last of the circus’ fleet. To his utmost annoyance, the ringmaster had proved to be just as greasy on the battlefield as in person, and had managed to slip away during the chaos. As the noise died down, he felt a shiver down his neck and whirled around to see what had made him react. 

He saw her. She stood on a rooftop at the very edge of the island, glowing in the light of the full moon behind her. Her short hair fluttered in the wind and she had a soft, melancholy smile that seemed to make her glow more. Zoro had lost focus of anything else and remained fixated on her, keeping their eye contact as a connection. Then he saw her lips move. 

Then he saw her take a step forward, and she fell down into the sea. 

* * *

She felt the cold, bracing rush of the sea around her and felt all of her energy leave her in a rush. Bubbles rose up beneath her, and she watched them float up towards the surface, which seemed so far away. Her cuts stung from the seawater; they began to throb nicely while she drifted downward. She began to feel heavier and heavier, and feel the pressure in her ears. Her lungs were frozen, immobile, unable to send oxygen through her body any longer. Her head buzzed and her eyelids grew heavy. 

Yet she gave a weak smile as the fact grew upon her— 

She was going to die. 

This was her final gesture of defiance.

* * *

Zoro’s eyes widened in shock as he saw what she had just done. Without thinking, he dove overboard and into the sea, his heart pounding in his ears over the roar of the ocean. Never before had he felt his stomach drop at the thought that he might be too late. He had to save her. He couldn’t afford to be too late. 

He didn’t know what he’d do if he was.

Tsuki wasn’t really conscious anymore. She only felt the cold rush of water against her skin, and the weight of her body falling downwards. 

Then she felt a warm, strong arm wrap around her and pull her upwards. 

Zoro felt her skin, only a few degrees warmer than the swirling water, and knew he had only just made it. _She must be a devil fruit user._ He increased his speed in the strong current, knowing she didn’t have much time. 

He broke the surface of the water with a gasp, pulling her up. _She isn’t breathing._

His heart pounded even faster and climbed, pulling on the rope the crew had thrown down from the ship when they saw him resurface. None of them had known what he was doing, but they knew that if he had that kind of urgency, it was important. 

As soon as he reached the deck, he laid her down as gently as his now-shaking hands could. 

“Chopper!”

Something in his yell brought the little reindeer over at twice the pace. When he saw the girl lying on the floor, completely motionless, his eyes widened. Immediately he pushed Zoro away and began to start emergency first aid. 

Zoro stayed as close to her as Chopper would allow, ignoring the stares from the unoccupied crew. He didn’t even stop to think why he was so worried. His hands balled into shaking fists at his sides, his knuckles turning white and his short fingernails digging into his skin. 

Then she coughed, and all at once he relaxed. 

* * *

Pain. Pain in her lungs from burning, icy saltwater. Pain in her head. Pain all over her body from its recent beating. Pain in her throat from coughing. Pain from surviving.

With some effort, Tsuki opened her eyes and saw a pair of big, soft brown ones staring right back, along with what appeared to be the rest of the Straw Hats. Suddenly she realized what had happened, and fear shot through her just as quickly as it had left her. 

“Are you doing all right?” the tiny reindeer asked her. His genuine concern showed through his small, high voice. 

“... Thank you.” She rose to her knees and bowed as deeply as she could, internally wincing at her body’s protest. Keeping her eyes down, internally her mind and heart were racing. _What do I do now? There’s no going back. There’s no going forward. I should have died there in the ocean._

“What’s your name?” Chopper asked her.

“Tsuki. My master called me Pearl.”

Sanji, who would have normally assaulted such a pretty girl with compliments and the like on the spot, was silent. Not only was it clearly the wrong time—he had seen the way Zoro looked at her, a kind of longing in his eyes he had never noticed before. 

“What happened? I didn’t see you among the attackers,” said Nami. The orange-haired girl had the air of a concerned mother. 

Tsuki hesitated. She couldn’t very well tell them that they had just destroyed her suicide mission. 

“I owed you. She’s the one that warned me about tonight.” Tsuki heard a deep voice, coming from the green-haired man who was also dripping wet. 

She bowed again, shaking slightly. “I owe a great debt to you. I will do whatever you ask.”

Apparently, this was not what he wanted to hear. He turned away, trying to hide his rage at that ringmaster who doused her temperament.

“What are you going to do now?” Zoro asked in a flat voice, trying hard to keep it from turning into an angry growl. 

She kept her eyes down. She could feel his anger, but she didn’t know why he was so upset. “I…” _Do I tell the truth?_ She sucked in her breath and said quietly, “I don’t know. I’ll be hunted down for my abilities no matter where I go.”

Everyone was looking at her now. 

Not knowing what to do, she kept going. “I ate a devil fruit when I was very young, and now I can control the human brain.” She lit a spark between her fingers, the tiny light thrumming gently. “I can listen into thoughts, feel and manipulate emotion and perceptions, and sometimes I can take control of someone’s body through their mind. I’m very precious to the Ringmaster and his boss.”

“His boss?” Luffy asked. He was interested now that he had seen Zoro’s reaction. 

“Circo is owned by Donquixote Doflamingo, the Shichibukai. He uses it for slave trade and meeting his clients for business deals,” she explained. She had never told anyone this before, and there was still more… but she wasn’t ready. 

Luffy stayed quiet. Everyone knew how powerful the Shichibukai were, and Doflamingo was definitely no exception. From the moment Zoro had told the crew to leave, Luffy had known that there were definitely some evil powers controlling the island. If Doflamingo and his crew were after her, there was no way she’d be able to escape them until they were annihilated. 

And he could see how terrified Tsuki was of them. Even while keeping a relatively calm front, Luffy had noticed her shaking hands and darting eyes, indicating something even worse going on inside her head. 

“Why don’t you come with us then?” Luffy’s spontaneous decision made Zoro look at Luffy and Tsuki lift her head up for the first time, both reacting out of pure astonishment. 

Tsuki didn’t know what to say at first. Staying with their crew would be selfish; they were bound to get caught in the crossfire in Doflamingo and the Ringmaster’s hunt for her. 

“I think she should too.” Nami was the first to speak up, smiling at her. Something about Tsuki’s situation reminded her of her own childhood. 

“If Luffy says so, there’s no stopping him!” Usopp laughed. He had always trusted Luffy’s decisions, and this was no exception.

Zoro remained silent. 

“Can she?” Chopper asked, eyes beaming like a small child who’s been allowed to play. 

Sanji looked at her. He saw a sad, small child who had never been given the option of making her own decisions. She was someone who came from a world of constantly being beaten down. A world that he knew all too well, even if he didn’t want to. He took a deep breath before saying in a soft tone:

“I would never say no to such a sweet little lady, especially if my captain says so.”

Tsuki was very used to catcalls, being groped and called names, but this sounded… different. It sounded like a sincere compliment, which seemed impossible seeing as it was coming from a man. Men were always pigs when it came to women. Except for those two, who acted like women didn’t even exist. 

Robin smiled at Sanji’s gesture, and chimed in her piece. “It would be nice to have another girl here.”

Tsuki listened to all of these kind words, but still she felt concerned. She began to bow again.

“I am incredibly grateful for your kind offer, Luffy-sama. But I cannot put those who I already owe so much to in danger anymore.”

“Raise your head.”

Zoro’s deep voice immediately silenced any other protests she might have had, and she obeyed, looking not quite at him. 

“We can handle them.” He had turned around, looking at her. He wondered if he had sounded too harsh; she still couldn’t meet his gaze. _Where did all that confidence from before go…_

Now she knew that his rage wasn’t directed at her, but at the Ringmaster and his affiliates. This made her relax a little. 

“Yeah! Sure we can! It’ll be fun! Let’s celebrate!” Luffy’s serious tone had faded away and he was smiling brightly at her like a child. Chopper and Usopp joined him in fooling around and dancing. 

Tsuki went to bow again. “I am eternally grateful. As your servant, I can do whatever you require for you and your crew.”

“What are you talking about, silly? You’re one of us! You’re no servant here,” Nami grinned at her. The crew had lightened up with their captain. 

Tsuki kept her head on the floor to hide the thick tears pooling in her eyes. Nobody had ever told her that. It felt strange, almost uncomfortable, almost liberating. 

“But I have to do something. No ship can run smoothly with one man idle, and I can tell each of you has their own job on the crew,” she replied, trying not to choke up. It hurt. 

“Hmmm… If you really want to do something, everyone helps with the ship and cleaning,” Robin told her. Tsuki could tell that she was a no-nonsense person, if not a little sad. 

“I can clean well. I’ve cleaned the hotels by the circus regularly. I’ll be your maid.”

“If you insist…” Nami looked concerned. 

“I insist, Nami-sama. I can’t just live here.”

“Just call me Nami.” She put a finger under her chin and lifted it to make Tsuki look her in the eye. She flinched a little, but complied. Nami was smiling, genuinely, and Tsuki knew she meant it. 

Suddenly her face darkened and she looked up. 

“Everyone, get ready, there’s a storm coming! Luffy, Sanji-kun, lift the sails! Zoro, I need you to stay here and steer!” She called out. 

Her and Tsuki got up, and now she saw the swirling black clouds and felt the chill in the air. Everyone ran to their assigned places, while Chopper and Usopp panicked and Robin watched, waiting for when she was needed.

“Nami-san, what would you like me to do?” Tsuki asked her as she went towards the helm. 

“You should go inside; I don’t want you to catch a cold or get hurt. My room is just over there, behind where Zoro is.” She pointed towards the green-haired swordsman, who was on his way to the tiller. “It’s your first day, so don’t be worried about not doing anything!”

Tsuki slowly made her way over to him; the ship was now rocking in the rough currents. Just as she reached for the door, a huge wave came crashing into the ship, sending her tumbling into Zoro. 

Zoro suddenly felt something bump into him and turned around. It was Tsuki, who was either too weak or too tired to hold out against that huge wave. Just as he was going to help her up and ask if she was all right, she crawled away from him as fast as she could, trembling, and held her hands over her head. This made her tunic sleeves fall down her arms to reveal all kinds of bruises, slashes, and cuts. This alone would have been enough for Zoro to be unimaginably angry, but Tsuki, out of pure habit, started talking. 

“Master, I’m so sorry! I’ll work harder, I promise. And I’ll do anything you say. I won’t cry. So please don’t punish me, Master.”

Zoro softened a little. “It’s okay. It’s not your fault. Just don’t call me your master, just call me Zoro.”

Slowly, she lowered her arms and looked towards him. “I’m sorry, Zoro-sama. It’s just…”

Then he started walking towards her and she began to tremble even harder. He knelt down and looked her in the eyes. Something about his gaze made her look back. 

“Just Zoro, okay? Here.” He offered her a hand to help her up. He knew not to touch her. Not yet, at least.

Very reluctantly, she took his hand and got up, putting as little pressure as possible on him. 

“... Thank you.”

Zoro looked away. He didn’t want her to think he was mad at her again.

“I have to get to the tiller.”

And with that, they split apart and went towards their objective.

* * *

  
Tsuki sat on the edge of Nami’s bed until she heard things calm down, and she went outside to see what she should do next. Nami saw her, and ran down to see her. 

“Are you doing alright? Why didn’t you change?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know I was supposed to.”

“Well, that’s alright. Sanji’s making everyone a snack soon, so come out whenever you’re ready. You can use any of mine or Robin’s clothes in the drawers,” She told her with a quick smile before walking off to see what Luffy was up to. 

Tsuki went back into Nami’s room and shut the door. Turning towards the drawers, she was just about to take a look in them when she heard the door open and shut behind her. She started when she heard Zoro’s voice behind her. 

“Show me.”

She knew what he had seen when she fell. _There’s no use in hiding it._ So she started taking off her boots and socks, then her leggings, and then her tunic.

“You know I meant—” He started, beginning to flush a little, looking away. Her thin turtleneck gave too good an impression of her full figure for him to feel comfortable watching her. 

“I know.” She cut him off in a flat voice. She took off her turtleneck, and stood in her bra and a pair of shorts. Since Zoro wouldn’t look at her, she sent a shiver up his spine with a spark of electricity at her fingertips. 

He turned around with a shiver and nearly gasped at what he saw. What he had seen on her forearms was nothing compared to the rest of her body. It was covered in cuts and bruises from what looked like whip lashes, engraving lacerations onto her stomach, her thighs, her ribs; they spanned from her ankles to her neck. He also noticed some burn marks on her skin, which had seemed so flawless only a few hours ago. 

The anger in his stomach roared and filled his body, and it took him everything to keep it hidden from her. 

“That ringmaster… He did this?” He asked in a dry voice. 

She nodded. “It was my punishment.”

Tsuki felt his eyes go everywhere, counting her ribs with his eyes, roaming over her bruised stomach, and stopping at the scrapes on her neck. She was too afraid to listen to his mind; she didn’t want to feel any more disgust towards her body than she herself felt. _I have to tell him about my back._

“Zoro-kun, can I ask you for something?” She asked tentatively. She wished her hands would stop shaking. 

He nodded, looking concerned. 

Tsuki turned around and this time he let out a small noise, a mix of surprise and anger.

There was a brand on her back, from the base of her neck to where her hip bones jutted out just slightly. It was a heart with a crossed out smiley face, a special symbol of Doflamingo’s. 

“All of us slaves have this mark burned onto our back. We’re required to keep our hair short and have it show at all times except for performances. Then we cover it with body paint, like the rest of our injuries if we have them.” She paused. “I hate it. It makes me remember every time I think about it. Would you… Would you cut over it?”

Zoro heard the deathly tone in her voice. He knew that tone. He had heard in Kuina’s voice when she had told him how much she hated herself for being a girl. It hurt him then, and it hurt him now, just to hear that pure self-loathing destroy someone from the inside. 

But now he could change that. He took a deep breath.

“It’s going to hurt a lot. Are you sure?”

“I can handle the pain. Trust me.”

* * *

  
Sanji was getting ready to prepare a snack for the crew. Normally, he would make something special for the girls, but unsure of what Tsuki enjoyed, he went down to ask Nami where she was. Nami told her that Tsuki was in her room, so he walked in and opened the door. 

He almost yelled when he saw what was happening. He saw Tsuki, almost naked (he looked away immediately), and Zoro looming over her, standing silent, with a strange look on his face. _That bastard._

“What do you think you’re—”

“Sanji-kun, please wait,” Tsuki implored him, sounding smaller than ever. He stopped. 

He looked at Zoro, flaming with misunderstood anger. “Explain this.”

“Sanji-kun, look at me.”

Sanji very gingerly turned around and gasped, nearly dropping his cigarette for the third time since he entered the room. “They beat you like this?”

Tsuki nodded. Then she turned around and she felt him shudder at the emblem burned onto her back. “I asked Zoro-kun to help me remove this.”

Sanji turned back to Zoro. “You’re going to cut her?”

Zoro gave him a dark look. “She needs this.”

Sanji ground out his fallen cigarette stub with his heel, and lit a new one. He sighed with a puff of smoke. “Tsuki-chan, that’s going to hurt a lot, and this idiot marimo here can’t help you with the pain. Do you want me to get Chopper, or stay here, or something?”

“Stay, please. I don’t want to show anyone that doesn’t have to see it.” She looked up at him from underneath her wispy bangs. 

He sat on top of the bedside dresser. “Anything you wish, Tsuki-chan. Here I stay.”

“Please… Just don’t look.”

“Of course,” He smoothly replied, turning his head to face the other wall. 

Tsuki unclipped her bra and removed it as modestly as she could, laying on her stomach on the bed. 

“Ready?” Zoro asked. He didn’t know if he was. It’s not like he had ever done this before. 

“Ready,” she whispered back. 

Tsuki felt the cold blade penetrate her skin at the base of her neck, and closed her eyes to the searing pain that erupted from that point. She found Sanji’s hand in front of her, and squeezed tightly. He continued to look away, despite the pain in his left hand, and took a long drag from his cigarette. 

Zoro kept his hand steady as he slowly ran the blade down her back. He had to be careful in order to make sure that her brand was completely covered. He blew out a soft breath and felt her shiver underneath his blade. 

After the worst was over, Tsuki let go of Sanji’s hand and took a shaky breath. 

“You alright?” Zoro asked. It was the softest Sanji had ever seen him act, and he was surprised. He never thought Zoro even had the capacity to be something other than his harsh, overly principled demeanor. _He must really care for her. I can see why._

Tsuki nodded. 

Sanji got up to leave. “I’ll go get Chopper.”

After he left, Zoro spoke again. “I… I tried to make it pretty.”

Tsuki turned to look at him as best as she could without moving her back too much. “Thank you,” she said quietly. 

Then the door opened and Sanji came back with Chopper, who nearly had a fit over her injuries. 

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?!” He demanded in a squeaky voice. 

She looked away. “I’m so sorry.”

“Oh, well. Let’s look at that one on your back first. Stay still please!” The little reindeer carefully examined the cuts. “This one… You’re lucky it’s not quite fatal. But it will leave a very big scar.” 

Tsuki smiled, really smiled, for the first time. She knew Zoro had seen it. 

The first aid ended with Chopper wrapping her in yards of bandages, and globs upon globs of ointment. 

“This isn’t good to keep on for too long, so take a bath after we eat, okay? You can get dressed now,” he instructed her. 

She shuddered slightly at the thought of looking at her body again, but complied. She found a pair of black cargo pants and a blue button-up shirt, which she tied comfortably at her waist, then she went out to eat. 

* * *

That night, in the bathroom, she carefully removed her clothes and bandages to examine the wound on her back. She gasped slightly. 

No trace of her brand was visible, covered by the bloody lines that ran over her back. They crossed in perpendicular lines both diagonally and vertically to form a six-pointed star on her back. It was a burning red from the clotted blood, seeming to glitter like flaming crystal in the light, the wound still slightly fresh. She was branded differently now; not of hearts and sickly sweet lies, tangled in her binds, but of a gleaming release singed into her back, now a piercing red, and someday to be a pure white. 

Through the raw pain of her wounds, she remembered Zoro’s soft words at its beauty. 

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered out loud, in the steam-filled room, a smokescreen haze over her image in the mirror. Despite her cloudy image, she saw herself clearer than ever before. 

She had never felt this way about herself before. Nothing in her life had made her feel beautiful. Not her other friends. Not the Ringmaster. Not the men that had yelled at her, calling her a pretty little something that they’d love to get a taste of. They made her feel womanly, but nowhere near beautiful.

Zoro had made her feel safe, like nobody would ever call her names like that again. Zoro was the one who had made her stay alive, and now she wanted to. 

_Why can’t I stop thinking about him?_

She was so lucky to escape that place.

Hopefully the memories would let it stay that way.

* * *

To show their trust in her, Nami suggested to Tsuki that she keep the lookout for that night. So Tsuki sat on the deck with a blanket, keeping her eyes and her powers at alert for any pirates from Circo that came back. Nami casually mentioned to her, “Zoro might come out to train some, that workaholic. Don’t worry about him.”

But by the time Zoro had come out to train, the fatigue and stress of the evening had got to her, and she had drifted off to the gentle lull of the ship and splash of the tranquil waves. 

Then suddenly things weren’t calm anymore. 

She was back in _that_ room, the stone walls icy against her skin. It was dark; she could hardly see, hardly breathe. Her heart beat so heavily her whole body shook with it, a slave to her fear. Everything up to now had felt like a nice dream, and it was finally fading away. 

She saw the Ringmaster standing across from her, and her fear intensified. It felt impossible to breathe now, her heart leaping out of her chest with every short, desperate attempt for oxygen. Her skin crawled and she wanted to run away, but she was far too weak. Far too weak. Her stomach dropped as he began to speak. 

“My my, Pearl, it looks like you really did try to disobey us this time. Even after I so carefully warned you…”

Zoro finished his small sake bottle and slipped out of the kitchen to go train. It was late, but he always felt awake when it was this dark out. Nami had warned him that Tsuki would be taking the night watch, but he wasn’t surprised when he found her exhaustedly sleeping on the deck. 

Except it didn’t look like she was alright. Her mouth was contorted into a fearful smile, her lips pulled back into her cheeks. Every muscle in her body looked tensed to spring, either to run or fight. Zoro knelt down beside her and heard her murmuring, her voice coming out in a hollow whisper of what sounded like apologies. Her quick, shallow breathing slowly turned into pants, her chest rising and falling more and more rapidly as tears traveled down her cheeks. He felt helpless. Could he even touch her without scaring her? 

And why did he even want to touch her? He had never cared about women before; and nothing had made him start now. 

But her. 

She was growing worse by the minute, tears flooding out of eyes squeezed shut, curling up into her blanket, hands balled into fists, knuckles turning white. Zoro understood how scared she was, and knew that she _did_ need touch, to erase the feelings of her dark memories, imprinted all over her body like the bruises and cuts she wore as if she had known them for a long, long time. Carefully, he reached out and wrapped her in his arms. 

The fear in Tsuki’s body intensified and she unconsciously tensed, and felt the pain of her injuries shoot through her body like shards of glass. She saw the Ringmaster come closer to her, and she wanted to run away, move, cry, anything to feel less powerless. He came closer and closer, until she could feel his hot breath on her face, and his blade cold on her thighs. 

“Tut-tut, Pearl, it looks like I really will have to hurt you this time.”

Her body twitched away from him. Her heart pounded, head spinning, lungs pushing against her ribcage as her breath caught, pushing herself up against the wall, back arched, her mouth open as she was about to scream and— 

And she woke up. 

Her eyes opened into Zoro’s concerned eyes, feeling his warmth flooding into her with his arms wrapped around her. She couldn’t catch her breath, she felt herself getting dizzy, still searching for solace in the darkness of his eyes. 

“Shh, it’s okay. Breathe. In, and out.” His voice seemed softer, somehow. She watched his chest slowly rise and fall, and tried to copy his movements, occasionally hiccupping. Slowly, it began to take effect, and she began to calm down, her balled fists relaxing and opening, and the tears finally stopped. 

The first words out of her mouth were “I’m sorry.” Zoro hated that she felt like she had to apologize for everything. 

“I’m so sorry to inconvenience you. Usually I can stop my dreams with my powers but it takes stamina, and my injuries… Please excuse my behavior. I’ll do anything you ask.” Tsuki’s voice was thick with fear that she knew all too well.

He reached out and cupped her tear-stained cheek in his hand, surprised that she didn’t flinch. 

“Don’t apologize. It’s not your fault. It never was. And you’re going to be safe here. I’ll make sure of that,” he told her, as forcefully as he could without scaring her. He wanted her to know the truth.

She couldn’t look him in the eyes again. “I know that, and I try to remind myself, but…” Her fingers gripped her sides tightly. “It takes much longer for my body to forget what my mind knows.”

There was a silence for a little while, Tsuki unsure of how to continue. _You can tell him, you’re safe now._ The truth was gnawing at her insides like a little monster, trying to claw its way to the surface, bubbling up towards her throat. She took one last shaky breath before the words came tumbling out of her mouth, as her tears threatened to spill over her glassy eyes again. 

“There were other things that the Circus specialized in than what I told you all before. There… was one other thing. Doflamingo… He doesn’t just use that island for human trafficking, but for sex trafficking too. I… Tonight… Tonight was supposed to be my first night. I just turned seventeen. Ringmaster, he made you—you were my target. It was supposed to be you. But then I saw you, I felt you with my powers, and I knew you were different, and I couldn’t… If it weren’t for you, I would have been nothing but a plaything for the rest of my life and I would have killed so many people just for my Master, on those hunts like tonight, and it scares me so much just thinking about it and it doesn’t even feel real that I’m here right now—”

“Shh.” Zoro cut off her rapid-fire train of thought quickly. “Except that it is real that you’re here now, and you’ll never have to go back. I’ll make sure of that myself.”

She felt ashamed, selfish for being so needy. She looked down at her shaking hands and whispered: “Do you promise?”

Zoro gently tilted her face towards him, just enough so that she was forced to look him in the eye. His eyes showed his true feelings, unadulterated by lust or greed. Tsuki automatically softened under his gaze, easing her uncontrollable trembling. 

“I promise. If you’re ever afraid, or just need to know what’s real, grab my hand. Don’t feel selfish, or an inconvenience; I’m asking you to. I want you to feel safe.” _Why am I so drawn to her?_ “Fear is something that makes you lose control. You’re safe now. Take control of your fear, and become strong. Like I know you are.” He brushed her hair away from her face, flawless in the moonlight, even after all she’d been through.

Speechless, she nodded. Her throat burned and she held back tears again. “Thank you,” she whispered, closing her eyes and leaning in closer to him, accepting his warmth and comforting touch. 

“Are you gonna be okay?” he asked, peering into her soft, dark eyes. 

“... I think so.” She took one last deep breath. Her face was still buried in his neck, and when she exhaled, he had to try not to shiver. 

Zoro slowly released her, and got up from his kneeling position. “I can stay up for the rest of the watch. I’ll be up anyway.”

Tsuki looked up at him, finally strong enough to look into his eyes, if only for a moment. “It’s alright. I told Nami-san I would, and besides, I like the night air.” 

He thought he caught a glimpse of a smile on her face. “I’ll be at the port deck if you need anything.” Trying not to sound gruff, he turned away to go back to training. 

Tsuki watched him walk away, hoping she hadn’t been too much for him. But she was still grateful for his comfort, leaving a warmth in her cheeks that she hadn’t noticed before. 

She looked up at the moon, the beautiful crescent hanging in the sky, illuminating the silvery waters beneath her. She had no idea where her life would go from here, but she was certain it would be better than the torture she had just emerged from. Her wounds hurt a little less after his gentle touch, lingering on her skin in a way she had never felt before, a kind touch… and maybe something more. Hope seemed reachable now, tangible now, real now, with Zoro out on the deck near her, the ocean surrounding her, enveloping them in its darkness, and the moon watching over them.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading!! i hope to have the next chapter out soon :) more about the title of the work will be revealed then hehe...  
> if anyone has any advice on how to format on ao3 i would be very grateful since i'm very new to all this haha
> 
> if you have any suggestions or critiques for this work feel free to leave them in the comments, it's very very much appreciated! the same goes for song suggestions; if you'd like to leave me a song recommendation (about a character, arc, theme, or if you just like the song) i'd love to hear it!!


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